MADURAI: Satisfied with the steps taken by the Madurai Corporation to ensure proper waste disposal and hygiene in the Smart Fruit Market in KK Nagar, near Mattuthavani, the Madurai Bench of Madras HC on Wednesday closed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed over indiscriminate dumping of wastes in and around the market.
During the previous hearing, the bench comprising justices Anita Sumanth and C Kumarappan had taken serious note of the civic body’s inaction on the issue and had imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on it. The bench had also directed the civic body to remove all waste from the market and the surrounding areas forthwith and submit a report along with photographs.
Pursuant to these directions, the civic body filed a report and photographs stating that 20 bins have been placed in the market. Besides this, four compactor bins are present in the market and the bins are emptied at least thrice a day, the report said.
The civic body further stated that it is taking steps to fence the area around the market to prevent dumping of waste. At present, seven women and two men have been engaged in cleanliness work in the market between 7 am to 12.30 pm daily.
The number of workers would soon be increased to 12, the corporation stated in the report. The vendors have been sensitized and warned that penalties would be imposed in case of improper waste disposal, it said.
Recording this, the judges closed the petition.
The litigant S Krishnakumar had stated that there were around 300 shops in the market. Despite being a part of the Smart City initiative, the market was grappling with severe waste management problems and vendors were throwing waste outside the market premises due to absence of an effective waste disposal system, he alleged, adding that this attracted stray cattle, which disrupted traffic and created risk of accidents.